Credit cards must be activated before they can be used, because credit cards are mainly sent to applicants by registered mail. In order to ensure the safety of cardholders, banks require that credit cards must be activated before consumption. When activated, the cardholder needs to provide personal information such as birthday and ID number for verification.

As for whether it is necessary to go to the counter to activate a credit card for the first time, there are two main situations according to the channels for applying for a credit card. One is to handle credit cards at the counter, and the other is to handle credit cards online. Credit cards applied by different channels have different activation methods.

If you apply for a credit card directly at the bank counter, you generally don't need to go to the counter to activate it, because at the time of application, the bank staff has verified your identity in person, and there is no need to verify it again.

If you apply for a credit card online, most banks will require the applicant to go to the outlet to activate it in person. The purpose of doing this is actually to conduct a second audit. In fact, it is also to enable the bank to confirm the identity of the applicant and prevent someone from taking the credit card.

Therefore, for cardholders who apply for credit cards online, the bank will ask them to activate at the counter of local outlets. When activating, you need to bring activation SMS, valid ID and other materials.

In addition, when the credit card is activated at the counter, the counter staff will ask the applicant to provide a copy of the ID card (front and back) and a copy of the credit card (front copy). Then fill in the application guarantee and signature date at the back of the credit card letter in advance, as long as the card can be activated according to the requirements of the counter staff.